The WestLicht photography museum in Vienna is presenting the World Press Photo 2025 exhibition for the 24th time, showcasing the finest works of international press photography from Friday, September 12 through November 9, 2025. This year's exhibition focuses on critical global issues including war, migration, and climate change, featuring 138 award-winning photographs selected from nearly 60,000 submissions by 4,000 photographers worldwide.
The World Press Photo of the Year, chosen for the 70th time, captures a poignant moment featuring nine-year-old Mahmoud Ajjour, who lost both arms in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza City in March 2024. The photograph was taken by Palestinian photographer Samar Abu Elouf for The New York Times, several months after the attack, in Doha, Qatar's capital, where the boy received medical treatment. Abu Elouf met the young boy in a residential complex where he was learning to adapt to his new circumstances.
"It tells the story of a boy, but also of a larger war that will have impacts for generations," said Joumana El Zein Khoury, the competition's General Director. The powerful image represents not only personal tragedy but also the broader human cost of ongoing conflicts that continue to shape international headlines.
The exhibition reflects both the defining headlines of the past year and brings attention to events that received less coverage in Western media. Visitors can view photographs documenting the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, as well as lesser-known stories including protest movements in Kenya and Myanmar, the drought in the Amazon region, and the authoritarian government of Eritrea.
Sporting achievements feature prominently in this year's collection, including the iconic image of surfer Gabriel Medina at the 2024 Olympics, Uganda's first professional bodybuilder with a physical disability, and emotional scenes surrounding Brazilian football club Botafogo's first-ever victory in the Copa Libertadores. Additional notable photographs include moments after the attempted assassination of Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania in July 2024, and a macaque monkey looking into a motorcycle's side mirror in Thailand.
The WestLicht museum, located at Westbahnstraße 40 in Vienna's 7th district, will display the exhibition daily from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM, with extended hours until 9:00 PM on Thursdays. As in previous years, the main World Press Photo exhibition is accompanied by a smaller showcase in the upper gallery, this time featuring the exhibition "TAGADA" by photographer Florian Rainer.
Since 1955, the World Press Photo Foundation has awarded these prestigious prizes and organized touring exhibitions that travel globally to bring the most important photojournalism to audiences worldwide. The Vienna presentation continues this tradition of making critical documentary photography accessible to the public, highlighting both major international events and underreported stories that deserve broader attention.
